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Teaching English Language Learners Flashcards

7 cards from real ALT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Teaching English Language Learners flashcards as text

  1. A student in the 'silent period' of language acquisition refuses to speak during class activities. What is the most appropriate teacher response?

    Answer: Allow non-verbal responses and provide comprehensible input without forcing speech

    The silent period is a natural stage where learners absorb language before producing it, so accepting non-verbal responses reduces anxiety and supports acquisition.

  2. Which assessment approach is most appropriate for monitoring the ongoing language development of ELL students?

    Answer: Formative portfolio-based assessments collected over time

    Portfolio-based formative assessment captures growth over time and reflects authentic language use across multiple domains.

  3. A teacher notices an ELL student writes 'He go to school every day.' This error most likely reflects:

    Answer: Interference from the student's first language grammar rules

    Omitting the third-person singular -s is a common L1 transfer error in languages that do not mark subject-verb agreement morphologically.

  4. WIDA's English language proficiency standards are organized around which central concept?

    Answer: Language functions within academic content areas

    WIDA standards describe how language is used to accomplish academic tasks across content areas at different proficiency levels.

  5. Which instructional strategy best supports an ELL student who understands content concepts but struggles to produce academic writing?

    Answer: Providing sentence frames and academic language scaffolds

    Sentence frames scaffold the linguistic structures needed for academic writing while allowing students to demonstrate content knowledge.

  6. A teacher is planning a lesson on ecosystems for students at WIDA Level 2. Which modification is most appropriate?

    Answer: Use visual supports, labeled diagrams, and simplified sentence structures

    Visual supports and simplified structures provide comprehensible input at Level 2 while maintaining content rigor.

  7. Which legal case established that schools must take affirmative steps to address the language needs of ELL students?

    Answer: Lau v. Nichols

    Lau v. Nichols (1974) ruled that identical education does not mean equal education when students cannot access instruction due to language barriers.